Amazing Stop Motion Animations

Have you wondered what stop motion animation means? It is an animation technique to make an object seem to move on its own by moving the object in small increments between individually photographed frames. When put together as a sequence the frames create the illusion of movement. It is basically the modern version of drawing on the corner of your notebook sheets and then playing with it. 

Well, as a digital media organisation, we focus on technology, not on notebooks. :) 

Therefore two of our children workshops are based on stop motion. We have 'Claymation' for the younger, 7+ aged, kids, and 'Stop Motion Animation' for young people 12+ years old.

One of the most famous film directors has started developing his talent at the same age as our talented young filmmakers. Tim Burton was only 13 years old when he created the stop motion animation 'The Island of Doctor Agor' in his backyard on Evergreen Street. The significant animation Corpse Bride (2005) is his first full-length stop motion animation. 

Today we are going to show you three unique stop motion animations that have revolutionised the world of digital media. 

In 2010, a film about the adventures of a 9mm girl called Dot, living in a microscopic world, became the world's smallest animation at that time. New technology combined with a lot of creativity and imagination produced this amazing film.

The teeny-tiny movie is created by Sumo Science at Aardman and shot with a CellScope, invented by Professor Fletcher. For the purpose of the animation, 50 different versions of the main character were created with a 3D printer. 

If you are amazed by this animation, wait to see the next one. 

The researchers of IBM had entertained themselves at work by creating a movie made with atoms. Yes, you read it right! 'A Boy And His Atom' really is made by moving atoms and therefore it is now The World's Smallest Stop Motion Animation. It is so small that it can be seen only when it is magnified 100 million times. 

An animation called 'Entropy' made for IdN magazine by Physalia is created by shooting 2,000 photographs of different water drops and combining them in a video. 

You can learn more about the process of making it and see the video here. 

The team was inspired by Markus Reugels' stunning photographs of the Earth in water drops. 

We, Signals Media Arts Centre, also have quite a few animations to show off with. The children attending our workshop has amazed us with their creativity and talent. We are very proud of them! 

You can watch the animations made during our latest Stop Motion Animation workshop here and tell us what you think! : )  

www.signals.org.uk 

Video games - harming the children - A MYTH!

There is a general opinion that video games have negative effect on children. Some people claim that they make children obese and violent. But is that really true? First of all putting all video games in one box is certainly wrong. Although there are games that consist violence, there are many with non-violent content.

In a recent study by the Education Development Centre, they found out that video games can actually improve literacy skills in young children. The Federation of American Scientists says "the success of complex video games demonstrates that games can teach higher-order thinking skills such as strategic thinking, interpretative analysis, problem solving, plan formulation and execution, and adaption to rapid change". A study conducted by the McGill University's Department of Psychology proves that when completing a difficult puzzle or a getting through a hard maze, the child's confidence boosts.

It seems that video games are not bad at all! This is why on February, 18, Signals is offering a fun and practical game making workshop! The participants will have the chance to create their own characters and game environment, and then build their own video game on a user-friendly software. It is a great way to develop new skills while having fun!